Fate Lies in the Moon and the 7 Stars
by twish-twang
Summary: Two more girls enter the Book of the Four Gods. They get involved in all the adventure and, well, in love. This is our first paired fic, so we hope you like it. R/R!
1. Prologue

TITLE: Fate Lies in the Moon and the 7 Stars  
  
RATING: PG  
  
DISCLAIMER: The anime Fushigi Yuugi and its characters are Yuu Watase's. Leena and Cera are our characters. No money is involved here, so don't sue!  
  
SUMMARY: Two more girls enter the Book of the Four Gods. They get involved in all the adventure and, well, in love.  
  
A/N: Hi! The names' Pattz and Dindz. This is our first paired fic, so we hope you like it. R/R please!  
  
  
  
PROLOGUE  
  
"Brrrnnngggggg!!!!!" the school bell rang at exactly three o'clock in the afternoon. The third year students from the history class got out of their classroom.  
  
"Damn! I thought this weekend is going to be perfect! The last thing I need is a history assignment! What's worse, it's a written report on Ancient China! I don't have anything to do with those small-eyed people; why do they have to bother us?!", fifteen year-old Cera Sparrel said. The girl possesses long straight strawberry-blond hair with bangs. Cera has a beautiful pair of amethyst eyes, and she set them to her best friend beside her-- Leena Aames. "Cool it, Cera! It's not so bad, really. Mr. Valdez gave us a week for it, and if you want, we could start it today so we'd be free by Saturday." Leena is sixteen, on the other hand. She has long straight light-brown hair. She always wear her hair in a ponytail. Leena's eyes are hazel in color. The two girls share many things in common. They both have good grades, social lives, and cool interests. The only difference is their taste in guys, and their attitude. Cera is more on the wild side while Leena is more of the responsible type, but sometimes, it's like they interchanged or something.  
  
"So, shall we go to the library?", Leena asked. Cera rolled her eyes, smiled, then replied, "Lead the way, my friend!"  
  
Cera and Leena walked their way to the library. At last, they arrived at the door of the library. They pushed it open and saw that only two or three students were hanging out there. The librarian was actually out for a break. Cera and Leena started looking for a book that would really give them everything for their term paper. Just then, Cera found an old red book with Chinese characters on the title page. Cera's eyes widened at the sight of the book and said, "Wow! Maybe this thing is meant for the museum. I wonder what this old Chinese book doing here?" Leena, as dumbfounded as her friend, said, "Beats me. Why don't we check it out?" Before opening the book, they saw a paper inserted inside the book. It looked like a note of caution, judging by the frequency of exclamation points written on the paper. But they couldn't understand it for that too is in Chinese writing, so they opened the book. Leena browsed it from the back and saw that there was nothing written on it. But as she got to some part between the first and the middle, they saw two pictures: a girl with long hair, preparing her things in her room; and another with short hair, seated at a conference table together with four other people. "What the?!?', the two girls exclaimed. All of a sudden, a blue light surrounded Cera, and a red light surrounded Leena. Then, they both disappeared, leaving the book open. 


	2. When Fate Brings in More Twists...

CHAPTER 1  
  
"Aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!" Miaka Yuuki screamed out loud when a red light filled her room, and a girl appeared before her eyes--- which seems to be Leena. She blinked and brought her hand to her head, trying to regain her composure. She looked up and around, then saw the longhaired girl Riya and her saw in the picture. Leena joined Miaka with her screaming fest. "Wh- who are you?", Leena asked in a scared tone. Miaka replied as scared as Leena, "I was supposed to ask you-- who are you? Why are you here?" "Where's Cera?" "Who's Cera" Leena started to feel bad and began to head for the door, but she stopped as Hotohori came in panting. He got his sword and pointed it at Leena's face. He finally spoke angrily, "I never thought that Kutou would send in an untrained female spy!" Leena responded in confusion, "Kutou? What's Kutou? What spy?" Before she finished her statement, Hotohori interrupted, "Don't fool with me! Who sent you? Nakago? That ugly emperor of theirs? What are you doing here?" Leena trembled at his voice, and she said, "I... don't... know." Tears started to fall from her eyes. She stepped back, leaned on the wall, then her knees started to weaken. "I'm.... lost?" At that point, she was about to sit down, yet Hotohori's sword was still pointed at her. His face started to soften as he saw a woman crying before him. But he was not about to be deceived by her act, so he put away his sword, grabbed her by the arm, shook her a bit, and tried to warn her, "Who are you? If you don't tell me, I'll kill you." Leena seemed to be hurt, but she only said, "I'm sorry". After a while, she fainted. Hotohori kept on shaking and shouting at her at the same time. Just then, Chichiri and Nuriko rushed into Miaka's room.  
  
Chichiri said right away, "Your Majesty! Don't! She seems to be harmless!" Hotohori turned around then his brows furrowed. He asked, "What?" then released Leena. She fell, but Nuriko caught her in his arms. Nuriko said, "Look at her clothes. It's as modern and foreign as Miaka's." Leena was wearing a spaghetti-strapped top, pedal pushers, and slides. Nuriko added, "And I don't think someone as pretty as her would actually be a spy!" Miaka, shocked by Nuriko's observation, commented, "You're right! But this can't be! I'm already the Maiden of Suzaku, and Yui is already the Maiden of Seiryuu! Genbu and Byakko had been summoned already, so what is she doing here? There must be some kind of mistake!" Chichiri looked at Leena, then turned to Miaka, "Yes, there seems to be a mistake, but I don't think she'd be going back soon to your world either." Miaka got worried, and she thought that she might not be the real maiden. So she asked Hotohori, "Hotohori, do you think Taiitsu-kun knows why? Hotohori?!?" She saw that Hotohori had this sad guilty look in his face, and he seems out of this world. "What's the matter, Lord Hotohori?", Nuriko asked. Hotohori sighed and looked at Leena who looks tired, "Do you think I was too harsh to her? I mean, I attempted on killing her and everything. What if she doesn't wake up?" Chichiri patted Hotohori and said, "Don't worry, your Highness. I think she's okay. And besides, it can't be avoided thinking she's a dangerous person if she just appeared all of a sudden! So there's no reason of feeling guilty." He smiled, but it seems that that didn't help.  
  
Nuriko brought Leena to a room next to his, so, according to him, he could take good care of her. Miaka talked with Hotohori about her feelings towards this recent happening.  
  
"Hotohori, what if I'm not really the Maiden of Suzaku?", she cried. Hotohori hugged and comforted her, "Don't worry. I'm sure you're really the one. I can feel it; my heart tells me so." He looked at her with so much love and concern that made Miaka blush.  
  
The two went to the shrine of Suzaku and called upon Taiitsu-kun. Funny though, after seeing her a lot of times already, they jumped in horror at the sight of her. "What seems to be the problem, Miaka?", Taiitsukun asked with her coarse and ancient voice. "T - Taiitsu-kun, I, um…" Miaka stuttered. Hotohori continued her statement, "A girl from Miaka's world has appeared and Miaka is worried that she might not be the real Suzaku no Miko. Can you please explain to us what has happened?" "Yes, this girl was brought here for a reason. She will play a specific role through the trials you shall encounter. You will find out about this later on…" Taiitsu-kun trailed off as her ghostly image disappeared. "Well, Hotohori, I suppose that all we could do for now is wait." Said Miaka. Hotohori nodded and the two of them left the shrine.  
  
Meanwhile, in Kutou...  
  
Seiryuu no Miko, Yui Hongo, was seated at a conference table together with the gathered Seiryuu seishi.  
  
"Yui-sama," Nakago began, "We have sent out people to search for the remaining Seiryuu shichiseishi and at the same time, stop Suzaku no Miko and her seishi. Furthermore--" He was cut short as a young girl fell atop the conference table in front of Yui. She was in modern clothing, namely a tank top, shorts, and sandals. "What the!?" Yui cried. The Seiryuu seishi stood up, ready to defend their Miko from any sudden motion. "Ow! That hurt!" the girl protested as she got off the table. She looked around, trying to familiarize herself with the surroundings but it was no use, she was plainly lost. Nakago glared at her and asked in a commanding voice, "Who are you?" The girl didn't answer but simply glared back at him. Nakago was losing his patience. His seishi symbol 'kokoro' glowed a brilliant blue on his forehead. Cera didn't know how or why but a wave of courage swept into her and she confronted Nakago, not really knowing what she was up against. "What did you do to Leena?" she asked in a deadly tone. "I know nothing of what you are talking about," The shogun replied in an equally deadly voice, "tell me why you are here." Cera replied sarcastically "Why should I?" Nakago narrowed his eyes. He raised his palm and gathered a small ball of blue energy. He aimed it at Cera and threw a ki blast her way. Out of reflex, Cera raised her arms in defense and without warning, an old mirror on the other side of the room zoomed in front of her, receiving the blast instead. Unfortunately, the mirror broke into a thousand pieces and the shards all flew towards Cera, causing cuts and bruises all over her body. A particularly sharp shard of glass grazed her side, creating a deep wound. She fell to her knees in pain and clutched the wound tightly with her left hand. It was bleeding uncontrollably. "Nakago, stop it!" She heard Yui scream. Cera felt woozy. The room seemed to be spinning before her very eyes. She closed her eyes and darkness seemed to cloud her mind. She felt hands on her shoulder trying to support her but she wasn't really sure who they belonged to. She tried to stand up but fell right back down then lapsed into unconsciousness.  
  
Nakago hesitated, but calmed down. Yui ran to the Cera's side. "She's hurt badly. We're going to have to tend to her injuries if she is to survive." Amiboshi stated. Yui nodded at him and he took Cera out of the chamber and into a guestroom.  
  
Yui stood up and walked over to Nakago. "Nakago…her clothes…she seems to have come from my world. Do you have any idea what she might be doing here?" Nakago answered, "Yui-sama, I feel that there is great power sleeping within her. She will be of great help to us but there is a possibility that she might bring trouble. The earlier incident was made to test her. She is powerful, yet she cannot control such power…yet." "So, she has come here to help us?" she asked. The Gaijin nodded. "Earlier, I heard that she was looking for someone…she mentioned a girl's name, I just can't remember…can it be that her friend is in this world as well?" "There is a possibility of that."  
  
Yui nodded once and left the room. She headed for the room where Amiboshi took Cera. She knocked once and slowly opened the door. She walked in and saw Amiboshi finishing up bandaging Cera's wounds and Suboshi sitting and watching from a corner of the room. "Amiboshi, how is she doing?" she asked. "Her wound was pretty deep but I've bandaged it up already. She also has some minor cuts and wounds. I think she'll be okay for now. She's still unconscious though." "So, we can leave her now. We can check back on her tomorrow morning." Yui said. "Hai." came Amiboshi's reply. The three of them left the room and shut the door.  
  
A/N: Seiryuu and Suzaku happenings were simultaneous. Please review ;) 


	3. Recalling the Past

Chapter 2  
  
  
  
"Ow! My head hurts," Leena said as she woke up. She held her head, and she still felt dizzy from her knocking by Hotohori. When she looked up, she looked around and saw how authentic the room she's in looks like. She saw old-fashioned furniture, doors, and her pillow is so ancient too. Just as she was figuring out what really is going on, she saw the door slowly opening. Leena suddenly hid under her blanket, but she was sneaking a look at the person coming in. It was Nuriko. He was carrying a tray with a steaming teapot and a cup. Leena whispered to herself, "Oh my gosh… is her violet hair for real? Or did she just dye it?" Nuriko looked at her, smiled, but headed for the table in front of her and put down the tray. He turned to Leena, grinned then said, "Hey, don't worry. You don't have to hide anymore; I'm your friend! Besides, I'm not the one who tried to kill you! I'm Nuriko." He extended his hand. Leena slowly grabbed it then shook it. She smiled and then introduced herself, "My- my name i-i-is L-leena. I- I-I'm glad t-t-to meet you, M-ms. Nu-nuriko!" With this, Nuriko's smile grew bigger, then his grip tightened and shook Leena's hand a little bit out of control. "Ahh… ouch?!?", Leena exclaimed, although she was laughing hardly. "Oh, I'm sorry! It's just that… I'm actually happy you addressed me as Ms. Nuriko! Respect is hard to gain at this point, for me." She looked really puzzled, so Nuriko continued, "You see, I'm really a guy you know. But don't call me Mr. Nuriko or something. You can just call me, well, Nuriko." "You're kidding, right?" Leena asked but Nuriko shook his head. Her jaws must've fallen to the floor in amazement, "Wow! Then you must be not the most handsome, but the most beautiful man I've ever seen! I really mean it; I think you're more attractive than I am!" Nuriko blushed really hard, but he tried to hide it. He said, "Hey! Stop the flattering business, but I want to thank you for that." Leena smiled and said in reply, "No problem. Anytime!" The two were like bestfriends in no time.  
  
After they finished laughing and everything, they paused for a long while. Then, Leena began talking again, "Hey, I wanted to ask you this a while ago, but we got really caught up with your sexuality issue! So, who's that man who tried to kill me a while ago, and what's his deal? Why is he so, so… mad?" Nuriko's face became a bit serious, then he said, "That man, is not an ordinary man. He's the emperor of this country, Konan. Telling his business with you will take hours!" "I don't mind listening to you for hours! I know it would be… What?!? He's the emperor!?!" she shrieked, then suddenly, a super-deformed Leena was weeping by the corner, "How the heck did I get involved in this?" "Hey, it's okay! I'm sure Master Hotohori would not try to get your head anymore. He's very kind, and attractive, and nice, and sweet, and kind, and understanding and open-minded, and…." Leena interrupted and said, "Nuriko?" "Wha?" "You're babbling." Nuriko flushed, then he continued, "Sorry about that. Anyway, he was just concerned about Miaka, the girl you saw inside the room when you got there. Things are bad between Kutou and Konan nowadays, so we should really stay alert, and protect Miaka from them."  
  
Leena became more puzzled than ever. She asked, "Oh, okay. So that girl is Ms. Miaka. Why, is she the empress or something? What's Kutou?" Nuriko let out a big sigh then said, "You're close, but not quite; although Master Hotohori is very much interested with Miaka. You, my dear, are hopeless!", he laughed, "Anyway, it's like this:  
  
"China is composed of four countries, located at the North, South, East, and West. Konan is the southern country. Kutou is the Western country. Ever since, there was war between Konan and Kutou.  
  
To our belief, it was said that every country is protected by their respective guardian gods: Suzaku, the red phoenix; Seiryuu, the blue dragon; Genbu, the black turtle; and Byakko, the white tiger. Suzaku is the god of this country, and Seiryuu is the god of the West. Each god will come to life when they have been summoned by a miko, with the help of her seven seishis. They would grant not only the wishes of their miko, but also bring safety to the country. Byakko and Genbu had been summoned already while the two others are waiting. The case is that Konan and Kutou are racing on it. It was hard to summon these gods because the maiden that they choose only belongs from the other world. We have to wait for a while before they come. Fortunately, Miaka came. She was chosen to be the Suzaku no Miko. On the other hand, her best friend, Yui, was chosen to be the Seiryuu no Miko. This makes everything harder to do because both think that they might hurt each other, until one day when the wound was deepened by Nakago, the general of Kutou and most powerful of the Seiryuu star warriors.  
  
As I have said earlier, the gods can only be summoned with the presence of the miko and her seven seishis. Miaka and Yui are in search of their star warriors. Currently, Miaka has found four: Tamahome, Emperor Hotohori, Chichiri, and myself. We do not know what the progress of the other side is or what they're planning, but I'm sure it's not good.  
  
Nuriko paused for a while as he breathed in deeply before proceeding with her story. Leena, who was already lying down on her belly, feet raised, shoulders on the bed, and her chin lying on her hands; seems to be getting more and more interested. She was so excited to know what happened next, so she asked, "So, what about Mr. Emperor's deal anyway? You haven't mentioned that yet." "I am getting there right about now. It's like this. Tamahome loves Miaka. Miaka loves Tamahome. But Yui loves Tamahome too. So Yui threatened Miaka that if Tamahome doesn't go to Kutou, then she'll keep sending people to kill Miaka. Miaka didn't want this to happen, but Tamahome secretly went there and said that he would come back as soon as we find the three more seishis. Now here's what you've been wanting to know: While Tamahome is away, the emperor is taking advantage of the chance to prove that he is a better man than Tamahome. He does so many things like protecting her, talking to her every minute, and so forth.",  
  
Nuriko sighed after saying these things. He looked at Leena. She was staring at mere space, and Nuriko realized that she was into deep-thinking. He asked her, "Leena, what's on your mind? Where you boggled by my explanation?" As she blinked, tears fell from her eyes. She looked straight at Nuriko and said, "I was just, kind of wondering… where do you think Cera is? I mean, she could be anywhere." Nuriko suddenly had this confused expression on his face, "I'm sorry to tell you this, Leena, but I do not know what you are talking about." "I'm sorry, Nuriko. I haven't told you my story yet: Cera Sparrel and I are the best of friends, and we were together for a History paper about ancient China. So we went to the library and found this really old book, and then suddenly there was this light surrounding Cera!" Nuriko gasped, "Light?" "Yeah, and then a red light surrounded me, and then the next thing I know is that I was in Ms. Miaka's room! How the heck am I suppose to explain such phenomenon!?!" Nuriko tried to calm Leena down. She was getting all panicky. "Do you know where she could possibly be?" "I don't know. She can be anywhere in the country.." Leena froze and became pale. She got hysterical, "Oh no! What if she's in trouble? What if the other star warriors try to harm her or something? It's all my fault!" Nuriko pulled Leena into his arms and tried to comfort her, "Relax, Leena. I'm sure she's just fine. I assume that somehow, anyone who would find her has a heart and would not anything bad to happen to her. Trust her. We'll get your friend someday." She smiled and hugged Nuriko tightly, "Thank you very much."  
  
While they were having this "lovely" pose, the door burst open and two shadows emerged.  
  
Miaka stepped forward, smiled, and asked, "Are you two a couple already? How fast!" Nuriko and Leena both shook their heads, hands, and they kept saying No's! Just then, the second shadow approached. It was Hotohori. That instance when the light had revealed his face, Leena got shocked and bowed down before Hotohori. She stammered, "Oh great Mr. Emperor of Konan, I seek for your forgiveness for the actions I had executed some hours ago! I am truly sorry for giving you the shock or something." She was saying things like she's crazy, so Miaka and Nuriko just burst out laughing! But Hotohori had this cute face of shock, confusion, and intrigue. After about fifteen minutes of Leena's sorry ritual, she stopped but was still bowing down on the floor. Hotohori kneeled in front of her. He lifted up her chin, smiled at her and said, "Apology accepted. But I believe that I was supposed to be the one asking for your forgiveness. Would you forgive me, miss? "Leena. Leena Aames," she replied. "So, would you forgive me, Leena?" "Of- of course! I'm sorry too, Mr. Emperor." Hotohori laughed when Leena called him Mr. Emperor. Of course, he doesn't know that it was Leena's nickname for him since she had known of it. He stared at Leena's blue-green eyes. Leena started to blush as she realized the distance between her face and his and Hotohori's gaze on her. Hotohori, on the other hand, also realized that the distances between their faces were so close, that he was actually gawking at Leena, and that she was blushing. Both of them looked away in an instant, and Hotohori took back his hand. He said, "Gomen." Leena, though somewhat embarrassed, said, "It's okay. I'm sorry too."  
  
Hotohori and Leena stood up at once. Leena had her head down, and Hotohori was looking everywhere but not at Leena. Finally, he had the courage to say something, "Um, Leena? If you need anything, you can ask my servants or me. I shall leave you now." Miaka smiled and waved goodbye to Nuriko and Leena. But Leena whispered something that anyone hardly heard. Hotohori heard her. He looked back and asked Leena, "What is it? You want anything?" Leena looked up and again, tears were streaking her face. She asked, "Um, Mr. Emperor? Would you help me find my best friend, Cera?" As the emperor saw the girl's watery eyes and dirty cheeks, he felt as if he wanted to cry as well. The problem is, Hotohori doesn't know what Leena is talking about. Hotohori stepped closer to Leena and put a hand on her shoulder, "I'm sorry, Leena, but…" Nuriko did not let the emperor finish his statement, for he already knew what he was going to ask. He told the emperor the same story as what Leena told him. "Her friend may be anywhere in this country. But wouldn't you suppose that her friend is in Kutou? They may not be Suzaku no Miko nor Seiryuu no Miko, but their fate can be similar to as what happened to Miaka and Yui." Miaka ran to Hotohori and kept on pulling his sleeve. She said, "Hotohori! We have to find her friend right away! We don't know what Nakago would do to her!" Then, Miaka went to Leena and held both of Leena's hands. Miaka's eyes began to water as she stared at Leena, "Leena, we'll do our best to look for Cera. I don't want the same thing that happened to me and Yui, to happen to the both of you," Miaka then hugged Leena. In return, she whispered a "Thank You" to Miaka.  
  
Nuriko got all emotional too and started to cry. He cuddled himself in Hotohori's arms… (talk about perversion). Leena and Miaka laughed at Nuriko, and Hotohori started to run around the room to get Nuriko away from him. "Thank you very much," Leena said with a smile. Nuriko, Hotohori and Miaka smiled and told Leena that they would be leaving now so she could get some rest. As they left the room, Leena went to sleep again, and she dreamt about Cera. 


	4. Purple and Red

Chapter 3: Purple and Red  
  
  
  
Cera opened her eyes wearily and she saw a young girl around her age seated beside her bed. "Ungh…where am I?" she inquired as she sat up bringing her palm to her forehead. She had a splitting headache and she could vaguely remember what had happened. "Yes. I remember now...I'm in this weird place. Huh? Leena...I've got to find Leena!" She didn't give Yui the chance to speak as she jumped out of bed and bolted for the door. She didn't make it, however, as she felt her knees giving way underneath her once again. She sank to her knees on the floor. "What? What's happening? Why do I feel so weak?" Yui rushed to her side, supporting her back to the bed. "Miss, are you okay? You shouldn't get out of bed yet. That power you displayed…it drained you and you lost a lot of blood as well." Cera looked down at herself. All her injuries have been bandaged up. She thought, "The mirror...I did that? No...what's happening? What's happening to me? It's really strange. Being sucked into this book, losing my friend, exhibiting supernatural powers...it's really weird...' "Umm…Miss--" she spoke up to Yui. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't introduce myself. I am Miss Yui Hongo, Seiryuu no Miko." Yui explained. "Seiryuu no Miko…" Cera repeated to herself "…and I am Cera Sparrel. Yui, um can you explain to me where I am and what I'm doing here?" "Oh yes, of course." Cera listened intently as Yui explained all the details from the book world to the legend of Miko and Seishi to the wars between the four countries. Cera couldn't believe what she had just heard. "If all this is true, then…Leena… What am I going to do?" She buried her face in her hands. "Cera, please calm down. I know how you feel…my friend, Miaka, she came with me to this world…but she betrayed me…" her voice trailed off. "No! Leena would never do that! She's here somewhere. She might be lost but I know she'll never betray me. Never." "Yes, I'm sorry, I--"Yui was cut short as the door opened and Amiboshi entered, carrying a tray of food. "Oh, Yui-sama, I'm sorry. Am I bothering you?" he asked. "Amiboshi? No, it's okay. Come in, Cera must be hungry. Cera, this is Amiboshi, one of my seishi. I'll introduce you to the others later." Cera smiled at him as he placed the tray in front of her. "Here, I brought you breakfast." "Arigato." She replied. Only when she took the first sip of her soup did she realize how hungry she was. She finished the soup then drank the tea. She looked back up at Yui. "That should help you get better soon. Now that you're through, we can get you fixed up." Yui exclaimed cheerfully. She clapped her hand twice and two servant girls entered the room. "Please prepare the bath and get her some clean clothes." Yui ordered. "Hai, Miko-sama." As the two servant girls hurried off to do their work. "Amiboshi…" Yui cued. "Hai." Amiboshi nodded and left the room. "Now, Cera, you must be itching for a bath." Yui prompted. "Yeah, I am a mess, aren't I?" Cera laughed as she thought of it. "Okay, I'm a up for a little cleaning." "Come on then." Yui led the way to the tub. "Okay, you relax while I get your clothes ready, okay?" "Thanks, Yui!"  
  
Cera let herself sink into the bath, relaxing but at the same time, contemplating about everything Yui told her and thinking about Leena. A book world...one legend...four countries in each of the four directions...four animal gods for each of the four countries...I don't understand. In a time of crisis, a Miko from the other world will come to summon the animal god and save the world...If I remember right, I'm in Kutou-koku in the east and the other countries are Sairou in the west, Hokkan in the north, and Konan in the south. The four gods...um, Seiryuu, Byakko, Genbu, and Suzaku...Leena, where could you be? So many places...if anything happens to you, I'll never forgive myself! No! I should stop being so pessimistic. Leena will be alright...I just know she will... Cera tried to take her mind off the possible things that can happen to Leena by thinking of other things. Yui...I can't believe she's being so nice to me after meeting for the first time, and even her...seishi? Is that the term? Whatever. Amiboshi was being nice. A small smile crept across Cera's face. And he's real cute too. Maybe...Hey! What am I thinking? Whoa...this is really weird...I know that I'm not exactly the summer flirt type. What the #&%$ is happening here? But it's true. He really is cute...and nice too...No no no no no!!! Stop thinking of such stuff, girl! I'd better get dressed before I get anymore crazy ideas. She hesitantly lifted herself from the bath and grabbed a towel. She didn't want to leave the comforting warmth of the water, nor the lovely aromas of the scented oils, nor the playful bubbles. She dried herself off and wrapped the towel around her body. She picked up another towel and wrapped up her hair to dry.  
  
She poked her head out of the bathroom door and saw Yui sitting in one of the chairs. "You're through?" Yui asked, "That was quick. Here, the servants prepared you some clothes while yours are being washed." Yui gestured towards another chair where a neat set of Ancient Chinese clothing were piled. Cera picked up the clothes and went back into the bathroom. Inside, she held out the articles of clothing in front of her and carefully examined it. It was a kind of dress she usually saw only in textbooks about Ancient China and kind of resembled the clothing of the characters in "Mulan." She handled it gently and saw that it was made of silk in a color slightly darker than midnight blue and dragon prints were seen across the surface of the cloth. Silver lined the collar, the sleeves, and the hem of the skirt. Together with the clothes were a pair of small Chinese-style shoes with the same color combination as that of the dress. It's beautifully made, but back home, it would simply be a Chinese costume. She thought to herself. "Maybe I won't look too ridiculous in it...I don't have a choice but to wear it anyway." She dressed herself then went back out of the bathroom. She took off the towel and her unruly strawberry-blond hair fell almost to her waist in a tangled mess. "Yui, do you have a comb or anything I can use to fix my hair here?" Yui looked up and stifled a laugh. Her clothes looked marvelous but her hair was just a no no. "Here." Yui took out an ornate comb from the dresser drawer. "Thanks." Cera graciously took the comb and smoothed out the tangles in her hair. "Okay, would you like to tour the palace?" Leena...what if I'm worrying over nothing at all? We were sucked into the book at the same time meaning we should have been together, but we're not. She must be safe back home...at least, she'd better be...Since I'm here, I'd better find her. Maybe she's somewhere else in the palace... "Yes, I would love to, Yui." Cera followed Yui out of the room into the corridors. As they walked down the hallway, they met Suboshi. "Oyasumi, Yui-sama!" he greeted out. "Hello Suboshi." Yui replied. "Yui, I thought his name was Amiboshi." Cera asked as he left. "Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot to tell you, he's Amiboshi's twin. I forgot to introduce you." "It's okay. I just kinda got confused back there." Suddenly Nakago approached them, Amiboshi tagging along behind him. "Yui-sama, we need to talk," he declared, "Amiboshi will take care of our 'guest.'" Cera shot him a sharp look at the emphasis put on the word "guest." "Cera, I'm sorry, but I have to go. Let Amiboshi show you around. "Okay." Yui and Nakago left, leaving Cera alone with Amiboshi. "Umm…so, would you like to see the gardens first?" Amiboshi asked Cera. "Uh…S-Sure!" He's really handsome...No! Not again? What is up with me? I can't even calm down... Cera turned red as she tried to push those weird thoughts out of her mind and enjoy the tour. As they walked along the garden, Cera noticed some exceptionally beautiful flowers she had never seen before. She went closer and picked one. It had purple petals and looked as radiant as the sun with its petals looking like soft, purple rays of light. (a/n: here is your purple part of the title!) "Amiboshi, what kind of flowers are these?" she asked him curiously. "Those?" he answered, "I'm not sure what they are but I know that they can be found only here in Kutou. "Oh, how wonderful! These look very lovely. Where such nice flowers grow, the atmosphere must be nice as well. I bet Kutou is a very beautiful country." She exclaimed. Amiboshi's face darkened. "I'm afraid that's where you're wrong." Cera looked at him, puzzled. "What do you mean?" "Kutou is not a beautiful country. Kutou is a land of civil war, treachery, deceit, everything opposite of what you are thinking. Those flowers? They grow inside the palace grounds because the emperor thinks only of the welfare of his own court." Cera bowed her head and looked down at the ground, dropping the flower. "Oh, I-I never realized…I thought…" Amiboshi lifted her chin up so they were facing each other. "Don't worry about that…It's not a problem that you should worry about. That's why Yui-sama is here. She will summon Seiryuu and everything will become peaceful again. All the wars will soon stop. Come on, don't let that ruin your day. Amiboshi picked up the flower and handed it back to her. "Here, you might want to keep this." "A-Arigato." She thanked him, and turned even redder as he came up and walked beside her. (a/n: and here is your red part of the title) 


	5. Great Brief Moments

Chapter 4: Great Brief Moments  
  
"Cera!" Leena shouted as she woke up. She was all sweaty and nervous, then she started crying again. As if Leena could reach her friend, she said to Cera, "#&%$!!! How the #&%$ did we get involved in this??? What am I going to do without you, Cera?" Shee hugged her knees; she said to herself, "Why do I have to be like this? Why can't I be like Cera? Strong, optimistic, wild, independent; While I am being so weak, stupid, dependent…" She wiped her tears dry and paused for a long while to think. Then she realized that it was night already. "Oh my gosh, I skipped lunch and dinner! I haven't eaten since dinner yesterday!!!" Her stomach was complaining already. Badly. She was even getting this certain scent between average and smelly. So, Leena went out of her room and tried to see where the dining room was. She thought, "Dang, this place is bigger than I thought!" At first, she ended up in some dark place where there was a gold statue of a phoenix or something. "Wow. I guess this is Suzaku.", Leena whispered to herself as she saw the bird figure. Then, she ended up in Tamahome's room. The window was open. It was very windy, causing the curtains to fly. Leena got kind of spooked out as he saw the curtains form a human-like shape, like Tamahome's form, although she hasn't seen him yet. She immediately closed the door to his room and looked for the dining room again. Finally, she arrived at her destination, and guess what? Miaka was still there. From dinner. And it was already eight twenty-five in the evening. "What an appetite this girl have!", Leena thought.  
  
Miaka looked up and saw Leena. She smiled at her and said while her mouth was full, "Mmm-eena! Mome.. ulp… eatith me!!! There's shhtill mmplenty of food! Yummm!!!" Leena laughed at her and joined her at the table. One of the palace servants brought more food and a plate for Leena. As soon as she saw the beautiful spread on the table, she started eating as bad as Miaka. After an hour, both of them gave up and laughed their asses out together. "Oooooh, I'm so full!", Miaka exclaimed! Leena told her the same thing, then held her stomach in pain and laughter. As she got tired, Leena remembered something. "Ms. Miaka? I hope you don't mind if I ask you something." "Surely, what do you want?" "I was kind of wondering, because I passed by his room a while ago…" It was like Miaka had this intuition on who this guy is, so she gloomly asked in reply, "Whose room?" Leena kind of knew that this would destroy the mood, but she continued, "Tamahome's. I just wanted to ask how much you miss him? Are you going to wait for him? Because Mr. Emperor is…" Leena stopped talking when she saw Miaka spacing out and crying so much. It was like she got affected with Miaka's emotions that her eyes started watering as well. "I'm sorry," she said while placing a hand on Miaka's shoulder. Miaka held Leena's hand and squeezed it tightly. Surprisingly, she answered Leena's question no matter how she knows it would hurt her, "Leena, you know what, after two days before he left, no one even dared to ask me about him. But the truth is, I find this gesture of yours better than the treatment they've been giving me. I've always wanted to share what I feel, so this big load I have will finally get lighter. The thing is, you don't know how much I miss Tamahome: how every night, I'm dreaming he's beside me; how everything I see, I'm able to relate it to him; I want him here with me, sharing our love." Heavy tears fell from Miaka's eyes and Leena cried along with her. She hugged her tightly and said, "You know, I feel the same way." Miaka looked up, surprised, didn't know if Leena feels the same way as her for Tamahome. She felt bad thinking about it. And Leena never met him before either. So, Miaka thought it must be a guy he left in the other world. She asked her, "I'm sorry. I know it must've been hard for you to leave your boyfriend behind." Leena was still crying as she said, "If I had one, I would definitely feel the same way as you!" Then she broke into a laugh. Miaka laughed with her as well. It was really weird how Leena manages to make everyone feel better: Nuriko, Miaka. She must be really destined to be in the book.  
  
Miaka and Leena wiped away their tears. "Thank You.", Miaka told Leena with a big smile. Leena replied, "It's no problem. But… can I ask you a favor?" "Surely, what do you need?" "Can you tell me where I can take a bath? I am really itching for one." Miaka chuckled and agreed to go with her. She showed Leena the tub, the towel, the toiletries, and she told her that she's going to wait for her outside with some clothes to wear. Leena removed her clothes and dipped her foot in the water. "Ahhhh, warm." She dipped in completely and washed herself. She thought, "Nothing but a nice refreshing bath." She shampooed her hair and soaped her whole body. She inhaled the steam coming out from the bath, closed her eyes and relaxed for a while. Then, she rinsed herself and went out the tub, grabbed a towel and dried herself. Leena was wrapping the towel around her slender body when she heard someone knock at the door. "Leena?", Miaka called. Leena smiled at shouted, "Come in, Ms. Miaka. I'm done." Miaka went inside the bathroom with some clothes hanging by her arms. "Here," she said "you can use these first. I'm sure you'll find them comfortable. I'll be leaving now. If you still need anything, just tell me or anyone else here in the palace." As she slipped through the door, Leena expressed her thanks to Miaka and they smiled at each other. She picked up the clothes Miaka left on the chair next to her. She looked at the ancient-looking Chinese clothing and saw that it was made of silk in a color slightly darker than maroon and phoenix prints were seen across the surface of the cloth. Gold lined the color, the sleeves, and the hem of the skirt. She started to feel the softness of the silk with her cheeks. Leena also saw a pair of small Chinese-style schoes with the same color combination as that of the dress. She decided to wear the dress at once. She looked at herself in the mirror, with her hair down because it was still wet and kind of thought that she looked good in it. But she wanted to tie her hair at once as soon as her hair begins to dry.  
  
Leena swung the door open to the corridor. She picked up her dirty clothes first and placed them on her arm. Without looking at where she's going, she turned to her left and collided with someone! The garments on her arms flew and fell to the floor… and so did she. She stood up at once and started picking up the things on the floor while saying, "I am so sorry! I didn't see you coming." And it was such a coincidence that the other party said the same thing and helped Leena pick up the clothes. Their hands touched. She looked up and got caught up in a long, melting stare--- with the Emperor. Hotohori kept on blinking, thinking if the girl he's facing right now is the same as the messy-looking visitor they welcomed just yesterday. Leena was surprised and kind of jerked backward. She bowed down on her hips and said, "I'm very sorry, Mr. Emperor. It was my fault." Hotohori, on the other hand, was not paying attention. He was still staring at her, even though he can't see her face. He recognized that her hair wasn't pulled up in a pony. He thought, "I never realized she's this pretty when you get up close on her." But he snapped out of it as Leena looked at him and raised her eyebrow. "Oh, it's okay. No harm done," Hotohori said. She flashed him a shy smile and gestured to him that she will be going to her room now. She briskly walked down the hall and went inside her room. Hotohori observed from her back the curve of her waist, the shine and beauty of her hair, the sway of her hips when she's walking. Then, he found out he was holding something in his hand: Leena's scrunchie. He smiled as he went to his room.  
  
On the other hand, Leena was lying flat on the bed. Her face was actually red. She thought, "Did I see something? No. I did not see the emperor look at me like that." Or didn't she? But really, Leena was melting inside. "I'm not falling. I'm just… flattered, that's all." She sighed and closed her eyes for a while. When she opened her eyes, it landed on her backpack. "Oh yeah, I forgot about that." She stood up and grabbed her backpack. She opened it and saw many stuff: her jogging pants, a shirt, a couple of notebooks, some barettes and hair clips, and a picture of her and Cera. Leena had tears rolling down her cheeks again. She called her name, "Cera. I miss you." She lied down, closed her eyes, and brought the picture near to her chest as if she was imagining of hugging Cera. And to her surpise, someone called her name! "Leena!!" It was Cera's voice. Leena sat up with eyes wide-opened and tears streaking from her eyes. "CERA!!"  
  
So, how was it? R/R pls :) 


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